Rami Malek, Star of Mr. Robot, on the 'Shocking' Twists Ahead

Mr. Robot tackles themes far greater you'd expect from a TV series, especially one on USA Network. The show, which follows antisocial hacker Elliot Alderson as he's recruited by a mysterious social-anarchist known as "Mr. Robot" (Christian Slater), asks questions about corporate and government greed, technology, and the ways in which we forge personal connections, both online and off. While Elliot, played with impressive intensity by Rami Malek, balances a double-life as a cyber-security engineer and a vigilante hacker, the creators pose these grand ideas but don't necessarily judge.

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In last night's episode, Elliot dealt with the aftermath of the brutal death of his drug dealer and sometimes girlfriend Shayla. He's suddenly faced with the reality that his hacker meddling may have repercussions, and he has to move forward with the knowledge that online action can resonate strongly in the actual world. There are three more episodes in this first season, with many questions still lingering. We talked to the 34-year-old Malek about where Elliot stands after this episode, where he might be going, and whether all of this is actually in his imagination. Naturally, this all leads to even more questions.

What was your sense of this show when you first heard about it?

First I read [the pilot] and I had these assumptions of what it was about. I asked Sam Esmail, the creator, if that was something that would be reflected in the way the season was going to progress or if this was a one-off episode for people to get excited and then we were going to fall into something entirely different. He assured me that it was a very calculated season and we would be unflinching with the things we were going to say about society and how we were going to push the envelope. And how we had the freedom to do so with USA.

Is there something you've discovered throughout the season about Elliot that you didn't realize from that initial reading?

When I read the pilot, I knew this guy spoke to me in a way where I thought he was capable of anything. The pilot defined that potential nerve inside of him. I was waiting to see if that would happen on his own or if certain events would allow him to make those discoveries. After getting this season's scripts from Sam, I realized he was going to put Elliot in very precarious and perilous positions where he was going to have to act. In last week's episode, it became about fight or flight, and he has to make those decisions throughout the season.

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What do you think Elliot ultimately wants?

I think he wants to be special. I don't know if extraordinary is the right word, but he wants to be special. That's something I think so many people can relate to. For him, it's very compelling and it gives him the strength to get through some really difficult situations and persevere. It's a simple goal, but it's one that is very resonate for him. It's something that was embedded in him as a child.

It became clear early on that he has no qualms meddling in people's lives. But do you think he knew how high the stakes would be?

I don't think he ever anticipated that it would get people killed. That's sadly what forces him to start questioning how reckless he's been in his life and in his actions and what his motivations are. I think in a certain way that self-reflection allows him to see how selfish he's been.

At the end of last night's episode, he finally begins to come clean with his therapist. Why is it so important for him to tell someone the truth?

One of the things he harbors so much guilt about is having lied to Shayla and the resulting consequences. Here's an opportunity for another person, a maternal figure in his life who he actually respects, to say it out loud to. It's an opportunity to remove the two of them, himself and her, from anything that might put her in a similar situation [to Shayla] in the future. Giving her some of the information he knows removes some of the guilt and fear of losing her as well.

"There are things that will happen that will be shocking and very unexpected."

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The big question everyone has about the show is: How much of this is going on inside Elliot's head and how much is real?

From Elliot's perspective, everything is real. With the audience being in Elliot's head, you should take anything that happens as very crucial to his story and the story of everyone around him. Everything Elliot sees is pertinent to how this season concludes and how future seasons begin. I know it sounds vague, but from his perspective everything taking place has a really consequential effect on his life and the lives of those surrounding him.

So you can't actually tell me if it's in his head.

All I can say is there are things that will happen that will be shocking and very unexpected. But I don't think they will let anyone feel like they were cheated in any way.

Do you think Mr. Robot takes a political stance?

Yeah, there's definitely a scathing assessment of capitalism. And I think from Elliot's point of view, he feels he lives in a society where people are being herded to a mental and monetary destination by the government and corporations. It would be difficult to say there's not a point of view from that aspect. I don't think there's an agenda in place, but it is a show with something to say socially and politically and it doesn't shy away from that aspect. And it deals with events that are simultaneously occurring so often in this day and age. The two seem to be linked hand-in-hand.

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Does it feel important to be part of a show with a viewpoint that extends beyond entertainment?

Yeah. I'm drawn to projects where I play these really complicated characters, but also where I can have some type of influence on affecting what we see as societal norms. Giving people the strength to challenge the flaws they see in the society they exist in and pushing their own boundaries and asking more of their government and questioning the policies they feel beholden to.

Has the show raised those kinds of questions for you personally?

I'm constantly questioning the effects technology has had on our lives and the effect that monetary debt has had on all of us. We keep this as a dark little secret: "This is how much interest I owe." Now we can bring all of those issues to the forefront and discuss them. I still have student loans and I'm paying those off and it's a conversation that so many should get to have. Maybe it'll open up a discussion that is long overdue.

People might be shocked to hear that an actor on a popular TV show has student loans.

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It's crazy in that there are times when being an actor can be ridiculously helpful, as this job has been. But there are other times when you're searching for work. It's funny to think that when you get done with an acting job, you're considered unemployed. There are definitely times when those checks don't last forever. I went to college at a private school and I racked up quite a bit of debt. I was very slow to pay them back. I'm really fortunate to have a job like this now that pays weekly for 10 weeks, but that has not always been the case.

How would you define your relationship with technology and computers?

The advances in technology over the last 20 years have been staggering. For me, it's scary. I really loved the days of picking up the Yellow Pages and scanning through that. There's something really cool and investigative about that. Not only was I getting information in a very tactile way, but I had to earn it. Everything has become so easy. It's great that it's at your fingertips, but I miss those good old days. And we're connected, but it can be very alienating. There is this distance between all of us because we're speaking to each other through cameras and monitors and icons and Emojis.

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Has the show made you more fearful about hackers obtaining your personal information?

Yeah. I don't want to invite anything, but I do think that sooner or later they're going to want to get after my information as they do so many others. So many people are vulnerable. Everyone, to a certain degree, is vulnerable. If you have an e-mail address or a Facebook account or any social media. People know things about you, private things. There's a part of me that questions how much we're offering up on our own by being on these sites. I think it all might come back to haunt us.

Does Elliot see technology as something with the power to be used for good, though?

If you asked me this during the pilot, I would have said yes. Technology, for Elliot, provided a very heroic possibility. Technology allowed him to feel like a superhero. And by this point in the season, in a sense, it's become his kryptonite.

How far will the rest of the season push Elliot toward a breaking point?

Losing Shayla seems like the bottom of the barrel and like it can't get any worse. That is bad, but I'm not going to say he doesn't sink any lower than that.

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